Chapter 447 Interesting Talk
Nairobi.
The citizens of Nairobi, who were prepared to prepare for the locust plague, finally found that their work was in vain, so the government disbanded the locust extermination teams on the spot and restored normal production order.
This makes the citizens of Nairobi a little disappointed. Why don't the locusts come? I thought I could active my body and bones!
If Ernst knew the real thoughts of the citizens of Nairobi, he would definitely vomit blood. You really don’t know how much food and rice cost!
“I heard that the locust plague will come to us? We have been preparing for it for so many days but we haven’t seen it yet. Is this false news?” Stephen said in German with an Italian accent.
"Aren't there more locusts these days! So there must be a locust plague, but I heard that it was intercepted by the government. Northern and Juba provinces were severely affected, and pastoral areas were also attacked. Workers who delivered cotton in the past two days said that the northernmost Cotton-producing areas also suffered minor losses."
“I have been in Africa for so long, and I thought there would be no disasters here! It seems like this is not a paradise.”
"That's better than Italy. There are so many wars in Italy and life is hard. But in East Africa, I feel much more comfortable. I can complete my work step by step and don't have to worry about my livelihood. Besides, is there anything that can be avoided about the locust plague? Far East, America, Europe and even Russia are threatened by locust plagues." Chris said as he pulled the spinning thread skillfully.
"Chris is right. Fortunately, the government put out the locust plague in time. Otherwise, it would be terrible. I experienced it when I was in the Far East! You must not have suffered hardships. I dare say that my life here is the same." I never dreamed before that when the Yellow River changed its course, my hometown was a disaster area, and the next year there was a locust plague, covering a large area..." Oudebiao Meng said at the side.
“It’s the same, it’s the same. Italy is suffering too! It’s just that we have more options and can run to other countries. You just can’t run away.”
"There must be a way. My cousin ran away during the war. As a result, he was caught in the Italian barracks and then went to the battlefield. I didn't hear anything about him afterwards. I don't know what he is like now."
“I’m afraid it’s all too bad. The Kingdom of Italy is really embarrassed. I heard that we, Austria, have been chasing us.”
"Ahem, what are you Austrians? We are all citizens of the Kingdom of East Africa now. Besides, Italy's failure was due to the incompetence of the officers and had nothing to do with the soldiers below. Moreover, my ancestors were not Italian, nor was Venice before Part of the Shinra! My father’s uncle’s cousin is German! So I am also half German.”
…”
“In that case, I am considered German. My wife’s grandmother’s mother is also German, so I am also considered German.”
…”
“Well, don’t fight anymore. We have registered now, and we can’t run away even if we don’t want to be Germans! East Africa is a place you can only enter and cannot leave. Fortunately, life here is not bad, but life is too boring.”
“Haha, Stephen, just have some fun! It’s a good idea to quit the bad habits in Italy and get rid of them in East Africa. Let’s live a good life, which is no better than being a gangster before.”
“Let’s not talk about this anymore. We have an appointment to play football with Factory No. 2 next Sunday. Which of you will go to watch the game?”
“I don’t have time. My wife said she’s not allowed to go anywhere this weekend, and she’s not allowed to go fishing. Alas!”
“I would say it is better to marry an Eastern wife. They are much more virtuous than Italians.”
"Pull him down! Look at how pitiful Oudebia is, and how tightly controlled he is by his wife. If you ask me, East India is the best. I heard that as long as you have money there, you can marry four."
…
"The employees in the factory are so lively!" Claesen, the director of Nairobi Cotton Textile Factory No. 1, sighed: "It seems that they will have to bear an extra burden this week." "Hahaha, Mr. Factory Director, I believe those young men will Thank you for your!"
As a light industry center in the inland region, Nairobi's population has exceeded 100,000 this year. It briefly became the largest city in East Africa for a few months last year, but was successively surpassed by Mombasa, Mbeya and Dar es Salaam. .
The reason why Nairobi became the largest city in East Africa in the previous life was that it developed early and had a clear first-mover advantage. In the early days, it benefited from the British's construction of the Uganda Railway. After independence, Nairobi's infrastructure was far ahead of surrounding countries, and Kenya The long-term peaceful situation has allowed Nairobi to effectively absorb the surrounding population and industries, and the food processing industry and other industrial fields are ahead of Ethiopian countries that have experienced turmoil.
This is actually easy to understand. It is easier for rich people to make money than ordinary people. Compared to neighboring countries, Kenya, which developed first, has rich people.
Kenya’s industrial products, not to mention international competition, still have obvious advantages compared with neighboring countries. This has resulted in the development of a number of mineral-rich countries that are not as good as Kenya’s.
In the 21st century, after Tanzania and Ethiopia tended to catch up with the help of a certain major country, oil was discovered in Kenya again. Therefore, Kenya's fate in the previous life was not bad, at least it did well in East Africa.
There is no such opportunity in this life. Although the Northern Railway is planned to pass through Nairobi, the upper limit of Nairobi's development is that of an important city, and it is impossible to reach the level of being the first in East Africa.
Especially in East Africa, while building the northern railway, it also built a larger central railway. This makes Tanzania's infrastructure conditions no worse than Kenya's, and even has an advantage.
Not to mention compared with Tanzania, even Mombasa on the coast is more popular than Nairobi. After three transformations, Mombasa already has the prototype of an international port, and it is developing rapidly by relying on foreign commerce.
Although the upper limit is not high, the lower limit of Nairobi has also been raised by the East African Kingdom, and it will not be much worse no matter how bad it is.
The textile industry may not be that profitable in the 21st century, but this is the 19th century. This kind of industry, like railways, steel, coal mining, etc., are all top-notch high-quality industries, and they are still textile or light industries.
Coupled with the construction of the Northern Railway, agricultural development around Nairobi, mineral development, and the agricultural product distribution center in the Great Lakes region, these all indicate that Nairobi's future potential is far greater than in its past.
Of course, Ernst’s development of Nairobi was only incidental. The ultimate goal was to open up the connection between the Great Lakes Region and Mombasa.
For Ernst, the importance of the Great Lakes Region is equivalent to the importance of the Sichuan Basin to the Far East. It is an important area for ensuring agriculture, water sources, and minerals in East Africa. It is a proper East African version of the Land of Abundance. The comprehensive quality of the Great Lakes Region is excellent in all aspects. Very good, the only drawback is that it is far away from the port (harbour), so this part can only be solved by rail.
The current potential of the Great Lakes region is far from being tapped, but it is already the most important agricultural and mining (mainly precious metal development) producing area in East Africa.
The next countries that have the ability to surpass the Great Lakes region in agriculture are Zambia and southern Congo in the hinterland of East Africa, but the current level of development is too low.
However, in terms of current agricultural development in East Africa, Tanzania is still far ahead, but the water and heat conditions in Tanzania are not as good as those in the Great Lakes region and southern Zambia and Congo.
Of course, this comparison is actually incorrect. The land area of the Great Lakes Region is not as large as that of the other two. The Great Lakes alone covers nearly 70,000 square kilometers, and the overlapping area between the Great Lakes Region and Tanzania accounts for four quarters of the land area of the Great Lakes Region. one part.
Zambia and southern Congo do not have the ridiculously large lakes on the East African Plateau, but they do have a lot of water resources. Only Zambia's surface water resources account for 25% of southern Africa, and groundwater accounts for one-third of southeastern Africa. First, the river network is densely covered, and it can be called the "Jiangnan Water Town" in East Africa. However, if the Zambezi River is used as the boundary, it is actually more appropriate to call it "Hebei Water Town".
In fact, the same is true for the Great Lakes region. There are rivers flowing into the Great Lakes from the four directions of east, west, south and north, replenishing the water of the Great Lakes. The only outflow channel is the White Nile.
The Great Lakes, Zambia, southern Congo, and Tanzania are actually in the center of East Africa. The topography is similar to that of the Far Northeast, but the precipitation is similar to that of the Far Southeast. The development of agriculture has taken advantage of the right time and place, and the East African immigrant population has made up for it. The last man and.
(End of this chapter)